Matthew P. Denn
Encyclopedia
Matthew P. "Matt" Denn (born February 9, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician from Hockessin in New Castle County, Delaware. He is a member of the Democratic Party who was the Insurance Commissioner of Delaware and is currently the 25th Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
.
, and Marilyn Denn. He grew up in suburban Hockessin
and moved to Berkeley, California during high school. A graduate with honors and student body president at the University of California, Berkeley
, he received his law degree from Yale Law School
in 1991. He now lives with his wife, Michele, and twin children, Zachary and Adam.
Law School in the area of constitutional law.
's legal counsel from 2001 through 2003, Denn wrote several of the Governor's major legislative initiatives, such as the Patients Bill of Rights, regulating health insurance companies, anti-terrorism legislation, environmental legislation, and legislation protecting school teachers from lawsuits. He also represented the Governor on a variety of task forces, including the Governor's Strategic Economic Council and the Governor's Cancer Task Force.
Denn first ran for a seat in the State Senate in 1998, losing to incumbent State Senator Bob Conner. However, he was elected State Insurance Commissioner in 2004 defeating Democratic Party primary rival, Karen Weldin Stewart, and Republican Party candidate, Dave Ennis, a member of Delaware General Assembly
. He served as Insurance Commissioner from January 4, 2005 until January 4, 2009.
in the election of 2008. Another Democratic candidate, Wilmington City Council President Ted Blunt, ended his campaign in spring 2008, avoiding a primary. Denn took more than 61 percent of the vote, defeating Republican candidate Charlie Copeland in a statewide Democratic landslide.
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Public Offices
|-
! Office
! Type
! Location
! Took Office
! Left Office
! notes
|-
|Insurance Commissioner
|Executive
|Dover
|January 4, 2005
|January 6, 2009
|
|-
|Lieutenant Governor
|Executive
|Dover
|January 20, 2009
|Incumbent
|
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=13 style="background: #ccccff;" |Election results
|-
| Year
| Office
| Election
|
| Subject
| Party
| Votes
| %
|
| Opponent
| Party
| Votes
| %
|-
|1996
|State Senate
|General
|
| |Matthew P. Denn
| |Democratic
| |6,632
| |45.7%
|
| |Robert T. Connor
| |Republican
| |7,860
| |54.2%
|-
|2004
|Insurance Commissioner
|Primary
|
| |Matthew P. Denn
| |Democratic
| |18,436
| |58%
|
| |Karen Weldin Stewart
| |Democratic
| |13,363
| |42%
|-
|2004
|Insurance Commissioner
|General
|
| |Matthew P. Denn
| |Democratic
| |182,619
| |53%
|
| |David H. Ennis
| |Republican
| |163,027
| |47%
|-
|2008
|Lieutenant Governor
|General
|
| |Matthew P. Denn
| |Democratic
| |236,741
| |61%
|
| |Charles L. Copeland
| |Republican
| |149,222
| |39%
Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
The Lieutenant Governor of Delaware is the second ranking executive officer of the U.S. state of Delaware. Lieutenant Governors are elected for a term of four years in the same general election as the U.S. President and take office the following January....
.
Early life and family
Denn was born in Wilmington, Delaware, son of Morton Denn, a professor of chemical engineering at the City College of New YorkCity College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
, and Marilyn Denn. He grew up in suburban Hockessin
Hockessin, Delaware
Hockessin is a census-designated place in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 12,902 at the 2000 census. The place name may be derived from the Lenape word "hòkèsa" meaning "pieces of bark" or from a misspelling of "occasion," as pronounced by the Quakers who settled...
and moved to Berkeley, California during high school. A graduate with honors and student body president at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, he received his law degree from Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
in 1991. He now lives with his wife, Michele, and twin children, Zachary and Adam.
Professional career
Returning to Delaware in 1991, Denn worked for two years with Delaware Volunteer Legal Services and then went into private practice, becoming a partner with the law firm of Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor in 2000. There he argued cases involving insurance disputes, personal injuries, real estate, commercial and corporate disputes, and bankruptcies, and received the Distinguished Service Award from the Young Lawyers Section of the Delaware State Bar Association. In 1998, he was appointed chairman of Delaware's new Child Protection Accountability Commission, a commission set up in the aftermath of the deaths of several children in state care. He also served on a variety of boards and commissions, including Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Delaware, the Wilmington Civil Rights Commission, and the Kutz Home. Denn has also served as an adjunct professor at Widener UniversityWidener University
Widener University is a private, coeducational university located in Chester, Pennsylvania.Its main campus sits on 108 acres , just southwest of Philadelphia...
Law School in the area of constitutional law.
Political career
As Governor Ruth Ann MinnerRuth Ann Minner
Ruth Ann Minner is an American politician and businesswoman from Milford, in Kent County, Delaware. She is a member of the Democratic Party who served in the Delaware General Assembly, as the 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Delaware and two terms as the first female Governor of Delaware.-Early life...
's legal counsel from 2001 through 2003, Denn wrote several of the Governor's major legislative initiatives, such as the Patients Bill of Rights, regulating health insurance companies, anti-terrorism legislation, environmental legislation, and legislation protecting school teachers from lawsuits. He also represented the Governor on a variety of task forces, including the Governor's Strategic Economic Council and the Governor's Cancer Task Force.
Denn first ran for a seat in the State Senate in 1998, losing to incumbent State Senator Bob Conner. However, he was elected State Insurance Commissioner in 2004 defeating Democratic Party primary rival, Karen Weldin Stewart, and Republican Party candidate, Dave Ennis, a member of Delaware General Assembly
Delaware General Assembly
The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...
. He served as Insurance Commissioner from January 4, 2005 until January 4, 2009.
Lieutenant governor
Denn announced in March 2007 that he was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of DelawareLieutenant Governor of Delaware
The Lieutenant Governor of Delaware is the second ranking executive officer of the U.S. state of Delaware. Lieutenant Governors are elected for a term of four years in the same general election as the U.S. President and take office the following January....
in the election of 2008. Another Democratic candidate, Wilmington City Council President Ted Blunt, ended his campaign in spring 2008, avoiding a primary. Denn took more than 61 percent of the vote, defeating Republican candidate Charlie Copeland in a statewide Democratic landslide.
Almanac
Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1. The Lieutenant Governor and Insurance Commissioner take office the third Tuesday of January and has a four-year term.{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Public Offices
|-
! Office
! Type
! Location
! Took Office
! Left Office
! notes
|-
|Insurance Commissioner
|Executive
Executive (government)
Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
|Dover
Dover, Delaware
The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...
|January 4, 2005
|January 6, 2009
|
|-
|Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
The Lieutenant Governor of Delaware is the second ranking executive officer of the U.S. state of Delaware. Lieutenant Governors are elected for a term of four years in the same general election as the U.S. President and take office the following January....
|Executive
Executive (government)
Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
|Dover
Dover, Delaware
The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...
|January 20, 2009
|Incumbent
|
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=13 style="background: #ccccff;" |Election results
|-
| Year
| Office
| Election
|
| Subject
| Party
| Votes
| %
|
| Opponent
| Party
| Votes
| %
|-
|1996
|State Senate
|General
|
| |Matthew P. Denn
| |Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
| |6,632
| |45.7%
|
| |Robert T. Connor
| |Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
| |7,860
| |54.2%
|-
|2004
|Insurance Commissioner
|Primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
|
| |Matthew P. Denn
| |Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
| |18,436
| |58%
|
| |Karen Weldin Stewart
Karen Weldin Stewart
Karen Weldin Stewart is the Insurance Commissioner for the State of Delaware.She was elected in 2008 to replace incumbent Insurance Commissioner Matt Denn, who did not run for re-election as he was seeking the office of Lieutenant Governor of Delaware...
| |Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
| |13,363
| |42%
|-
|2004
|Insurance Commissioner
|General
|
| |Matthew P. Denn
| |Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
| |182,619
| |53%
|
| |David H. Ennis
| |Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
| |163,027
| |47%
|-
|2008
|Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
The Lieutenant Governor of Delaware is the second ranking executive officer of the U.S. state of Delaware. Lieutenant Governors are elected for a term of four years in the same general election as the U.S. President and take office the following January....
|General
|
| |Matthew P. Denn
| |Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
| |236,741
| |61%
|
| |Charles L. Copeland
Charles L. Copeland
Charles L. "Charlie" Copeland, is a Delaware businessman and politician. He is a former Minority Leader of the Delaware State Senate and ran for the Lieutenant Governorship of Delaware in 2008.-Early life and family:...
| |Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
| |149,222
| |39%
External links
Places with more information
- Delaware Historical SocietyDelaware Historical SocietyThe Delaware Historical Society began in 1864 as an effort to preserve documents from the Civil War. Since then, it has expanded into a state-wide historical institution with several venues and a major museum in Wilmington and the historic Read House & Gardens in New Castle.The society...
; website; 505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161 - University of DelawareUniversity of DelawareThe university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
; Library website; 181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965